Foot covering



T R BAXTER FOOT COVERING Flled July 7 1965 June H, l

3,3215% Patented June 13, 1967 3,324,580 FOOT COVERING Thomas R. Baxter,Box 790, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050 Filed July 7, 1965, Ser. No. 470,150 7(Claims. (Cl. 368.1)

This invention relates to protective devices and is more particularlyconcerned with improvements in a foot cover which is particularlyadapted to be used by a patient with a foot dressing.

Various devices have been suggested for use by patients having footdressings which are designed to protect the dressing and to prevent itfrom becoming wet while the patient is exposed to falling water, forexample, while taking a shower bath. Boots of various materials havebeen provided with elastic tops, button-over flaps, tie strings, rubberbands or other fastening means but none of these have provensatisfactory in use primarily because they do not shed the water in asatisfactory manner or they unduly restrict circulation. The principalobject of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a boot forthis purpose which will not leak when applied over foot dressing butwill shed the water when the patient takes a shower bath, which does notappreciably restrict circulation, which is easily applied to the footand which may be made of inexpensive materials so that it may bediscarded after a single use.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a device forcovering the foot of a patient having a surgical dressing thereon so asto prevent the dressing from becoming wet during a shower bath, or thelike, wherein a boot is formed of flexible sheet material with a bodymember and a separate cuff member, the body member having an ankleencasing portion with an opening for receiving the foot, which openingis of sufficient size so that the marginal portions of the body membermay be gathered about the angle and secured by a pair of integrallyconnected tie strips and the cuff member being characterized by anelongate strip of the sheet material with a band of adhesive ofsubstantial width extending along the marginal edge thereof which willadhere the strip to the leg and to the gathered marginal portions of thebody member when wrapped about the leg thereby to form a seal around theopening to the body member and to extend down over the top portion ofthe body member.

It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a devicefor covering and protecting the foot of a patient having a surgicaldressing or the like thereon so as to prevent the dressing from becomingsoiled when the patient takes a shower bath wherein the device is in theform of a boot which is fabricated from a flexible plastic sheetmaterial, such as, polyethylene film, with an ankle encasing portion andan opening large enough to receive the foot and a co-operating cuffforming member initially in the form of an elongate strip ofpolyethylene or similar plastic film which will shed water and which hasa pressure sensitive adhesive along one margin thereof so that it may bewrapped about the margin of the ankle encasing portion to seal theopening against the entrance of water into the boot.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom a consideration of the foot covering device and the method of usingthe same which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded plan view showing the protective body and cuffmembers in the flattened condition in which the assembly is supplied tothe user;

FIGURE 2 is a view illustrating the application of the device to thefoot of the user;

FIGURE 3 is a view showing the device applied to the foot of a patientso as to cover a foot dressing; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 2 illustrating amodified form of the device.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a two-pieceprotective device which is particularly adapted for use as a cover onthe foot of a patient having a surgical dressing. As illustrated, thedevice comprises a body of boot forming member 10 and a cuff member orassembly 11. The boot 10 is fabricated of two sheets of flexiblematerial, preferably a plastic film, for example, polyethylene which isrelatively thin and flexible and which is waterproof. The sheets are cutto the form shown in FIGURE 1 and connected by a suitable seal extendingabout the edges, as indicated at 12, except for the topmost edge whichis left open. The film is cut and connected so as to form a bootenclosing section 14 and an ankle enclosing portion 15. Additionally,two tie strips or bands 16 and 17 are taken from the upper margins ofthe two sheets by cutting partially across the same on the line 18leaving the bands 16 and 17 integrally connected with the body along theline 19 and the edge line 20. The bands 16 and 17 are cut at 21 so as tofree the same at the opposite ends and permit the two strips to befolded back over the adjoining margins of the ankle portion 15 whileremaining attached thereto along the line 19.

The cuff member or assembly 11 comprises a rectangular sheet 23 ofplastic film which may be the same material as the body, for example,polyethylene film, which sheet has substantial width and a lengthsufficient to wrap about the ankle so that the ends will overlapsubstantially. A band of pressure sensitive adhesive 24 is providedalong the one margin which is of substantial width and which has apeelable cover element or strip 25 laid over the area initially so thatthe edges of the cover strip extend somewhat beyond the edges of theadhesive area and provide a marginal portion which may be grasped tostrip off the cover element 25 when the cuff is prepared for applicationto the leg.

In using the device, the boot member 10 is opened up by spreading themargins at the mouth of the ankle portion 15 and the foot of the user isinserted. The boot is drawn over the foot and the dressing thereon andthe ankle portion 15 is gathered around the ankle to permit the tiestrips 16 and 17 to be drawn snug and tied in a conventional manner. Thecuff assembly 11 is then applied, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, theadhesive cover strip 25 being stripped off and the cuff wrapped aboutthe ankle with the adhesive surface 24 laid against the ankle andpreferably extending both above and below the topmost edge of the ankleportion 15 so that when wrapped about the ankle the adhesive strip 24encompasses the top margins of the ankle portion 15 and extends abovethe same so as to adhere to the leg surface thereby forming a waterproofseal with the non-adhesive portion of the cuff draped down over theankle and forming a hood for shedding any water which runs down from theleg of the user or falls from the shower or the like.

A modified form of cufl assembly 11 is illustrated in FIGURE 4. In thisform of the device, the adhesive coating 24' is extended to cover theinner surface of the cuff sheet 23 and the cuff assembly 11 may beapplied so that it adheres to the top marginal portion of the boot 10and to a portion of the leg above the top edge 18 of the boot 10 when itis wrapped around the same, thereby to cover and seal the opening intothe boot.

While particular materials and a specific structural arrangement arereferred to in describing the form of the device illustrated, it will beunderstood that other suitable materials and equivalent structuralarrangements may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A foot covering of flexible sheet material comprising a member in theform of a boot having an ankle conforming portion with an opening ofsufficient size for receiving the foot and for gathering the materialsnugly around the ankle, a pair of integrally connected tie bands at themargin of the ankle conforming portion which are adapted to be tied tohold the ankle conforming portion snugly against the ankle, and a cuffmember of generally rectangular shape with sufficient length and widthto encompass the margin of the ankle conforming portion and the tiebands when wrapped about the ankle after the boot member is suppliedthereto, said cuff member having a section along the top margin with apressure sensitive adhesive which will adhere to the ankle and to theadjoining marginal portion of the boot member so as to seal the openinginto the boot member.

2. A foot covering comprising a boot-like body member of flexibleliquid-proof plastic film material having an ankle conforming portionwith an opening of suflicient size for receiving the foot and forgathering the film material around the ankle, a pair of tie bandssecured to the ankle conforming portion which are adapted to be tiedabout the ankle to hold the material snugly against the same, and a cuffcomprising a rectangular strip of plastic sheet material of substantiallength and width, said cuff having a band of pressure-sensitive adhesivewhich will adhere to the leg and to the strip material so as to coverthe opening to the body member and also overlie adjoining marginalportions thereof when wrapped about the leg with the non-adhesive areaextending down over the top of the body member so as to shed liquid andprevent the entrance of the same into the body member.

3. A covering device for the foot comprising a body member of relativelythin, flexible, plastic sheet material in the form of a boot with anankle conforming portion and an opening of suificient size for receivingthe foot and for gathering the material around the ankle, a pair of tieforming band members attached to the body member at the ankle conformingportion which are adapted to be tied so as to hold the material snuglyagainst the ankle, and a cuff member in the form of a rectangular stripof relatively thin, flexible, plastic film material of suflicient lengthand width to cover the upper margin of the ankle conforming portion andextend above the same when said cuff forming member is Wrapped about theankle, and said cuff forming member having a pressuresensitive adhesiveon a marginal portion which will adhere to the ankle immediately abovethe margin of the ankle conforming portion and drape down over thelatter so as to close the opening into the body member and prevent theentry of liquid.

4. A covering device for the foot of a patient with a foot dressingcomprising a body member of relatively thin, flexible, plastic sheetmaterial in the form of a boot with an ankle conforming portion and anopening thereto of sufiicient size for receiving the foot and forfolding the margin about the ankle, a pair of tie forming band membersconnected at one end to the body member at the ankle conforming portionby an integral web portion which members are adapted to be folded overthe margin and tied around the ankle so as to hold the material snuglyagainst the ankle, and a cuff forming member comprising a rectangularstrip of relatively thin, flexible,

plastic film material of a length and width sufiicient to extend aroundthe ankle and cover the upper margin of the ankle confonming portion,and said cuff forming member having a pressure sensitive adhesivethereon which will adhere to the ankle immediately above the margin ofthe ankle conforming portion and allow the 4 lower portion of said cuffmember to drape down over the ankle conforming portion so as to closethe opening into the body member and prevent the entry of liquid.

5. A covering device for the foot of a patient with a foot dressingcomprising a body member of relatively thin, flexible, waterproof,plastic film material in the form of a boot with an ankle conformingportion and an opening of sufficient size for receiving the foot and forgathering the marginal portions around the ankle, a pair of tie formingband members integrally attached to the body member at the ankleconforming portion which are adapted to be tied so as to hold saidmarginal portions snugly against the ankle, and a cuff member in theform of a rectangular strip of relatively thin, flexible, Waterproof,plastic film of suflicient length and width to cover the upper margin ofthe ankle conforming portion and extend above the same when said cuffmember is wrapped about the ankle, and said cuff member having a band ofpressure sensitive adhesive of substantial width on a marginal portionwhich will adhere to the ankle immediately above the margin of the ankleconforming portion and extend down over the latter so as to cover theopening into the body member and prevent the entry of liquid.

6. A covering device for the foot of a patient with a foot dressingcomprising a body member of relatively thin, flexible, waterproof, sheetmaterial in the form of a boot with an ankle conforming portion and anopening thereto or suflicient size for receiving the foot and forfolding the margin about the ankle, a pair of tie forming band membersconnected at one end to the body member at the ankle conforming portionwhich tie members are adapted to be wrapped about said margin and tiedso as to hold the marginal material snugly against the ankle, and a cuffforming member comprising a rectangular strip of relatively thin,flexible, waterproof material of a length and width suflicient to extendaround the ankle and cover the upper margin of the ankle conformingportion, and said cuff forming member having an adhesive material whichwill adhere to the ankle immediately above the margin of the ankleconforming portion and allow the lower portion of said cuff member toextend down over the ankle conforming portion so as to seal the openinginto the body member and prevent the entry of liquid.

7. A foot covering of flexible sheet material comprising a member in theform of -a boot having an ankle conforming portion with an opening ofsufficient size for receiving the foot and for gathering the materialsnugly around the ankle, a pair of integrally connected tie bands at themargin of the ankle conforming portion which are adapted to be tied tohold the ankle conforming portion snugly against the ankle, and a cuffmember of generally rectangular shape with sufficient length and widthto encompass the margin of the ankle conforming portion and the bandswhen wrapped about the ankle after the boot member is applied thereto,said cuff member having a pressure sensitive adhesive on its innersurface which will adhere to the ankle and to the adjoining marginalportion of the boot member so as to seal the opening into the bootmember.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,582,648 1/1952 Mowbray 36-82,924,029 2/1960 Rosen 36-7 2,986,823 6/1961 Kos 367 PATRICK D. LAWSON,Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,324,580 June 13, 1967 Thomas R. Baxter It is hereby certified that errorappears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that thesaid Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 37, for "angle" read ankle column 2, line 9, for "of"read or column 4, line 29, for "or" read of line 56 for "bands" read tiebands Signed and sealed this 18th day of June 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer

1. A FOOT COVERING OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A MEMBER IN THEFORM OF A BOOT HAVING AN ANKLE CONFORMING PORTION WITH AN OPENING OFSUFFICIENT SIZE FOR RECEIVING THE FOOT AND FOR GATHERING THE MATERIALSNUGLY AROUND THE ANKLE, A PAIR OF INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TIE BANDS AT THEMARGIN OF THE ANKLE CONFORMING PORTION WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO BE TIED TOHOLD THE ANKLE CONFORMING PORTION SNUGLY AGAINST THE ANKLE, AND A CUFFMEMBER OF GENERALLY RECTANGULAR SHAPE WITH SUFFICIENT LENGTH OF WIDTH TOENCOMPASS THE MARGIN OF THE ANKLE CONFORMING PORTION AND THE TIE BANDSWHEN WRAPPED ABOUT THE ANKLE AFTER THE BOOT MEMBER IS SUPPLIED THERETO,SAID CUFF MEMBER HAVING A SECTION ALONG THE TOP MARGIN WITH A PRESSURESENSITIVE ADHESIVE WHICH WILL ADHERE TO THE ANKLE AND TO THE ADJOININGMARGINAL PORTION OF THE BOOT MEMBER SO AS TO SEAL THE OPENING INTO THEBOOT MEMBER.